American sprint king Noah Lyles mocks NBA winners being called ‘world champions’ after his 100m-200m double at World Championships: ‘US ain’t the world’

American Noah Lyles said his 100-200 sprint double at the World Championships in Hungary is a greater achievement than titles among most American sports stars due to his global rivals.

Lyles took a 200-meter victory in 19.52 seconds on Friday night, backing up last weekend’s 100-meter win and suggesting in retrospect that the American sport is being held back by a lack of competition abroad.

“I got to watch the NBA Finals and they have a world champion on their head,” Lyles said. World champion of what? The United States? Do not get me wrong. I like the US sometimes. But that’s not the world.

‘We are the world. Almost every country here is fighting and thriving and putting up a flag to show they are represented. There are no flags in the NBA.’

Lyles, 26, has made no secret of his desire to become a true global sports star.

“I think I’ve said many times that I want to transcend the sport. I’m the guy who wants to get past being “track famous.”

He’s being tracked by Netflix cameras for a series about the world of sprinting, but said filmmakers have been slow to focus on him and his talents.

“All I know is they weren’t talking about me at the beginning of that documentary,” Lyles joked. “As soon as I won in Paris, they got buddy buddy very quickly!

“I think it went from a docuseries about the fastest people to a docuseries about me.

“I want people to say, ‘Wow, this isn’t just a fast guy, he’s a well-educated guy with a good personality, and I want to follow him for that.'”

Lyles looked a bit unwieldy for the first 50 yards, but after rounding the corner and entering the final 80 yards, he overtook and then sprinted away from Erriyon Knighton at .23, dispelling any thought of a real rivalry with the 19-year-old. year-old American for another year.

Lyle was a surprise winner of the 100 meters and admitted that the 200 meters is his favorite competition.

The 100 is fun. But the 200, you know, this one is personal to me,” he said.